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Here is today’s Breaking News from Letting Agent Today. Join the debate by leaving a comment below a story - you will need to be logged-in to do this.

Breaking News

Phil Spencer asks: Should Agents Manage Short Let Properties?

It’s not easy for anyone - even professionals like lettings and estate agents - to keep up with the blizzard of new rules and regulations surrounding...

Energy Efficiency - new RICS standard for agents to launch this year

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has launched a new Residential Retrofit Standard in a bid to help the housing industry meet net zero targets. A statement...

Major agency announces link with renting-in-retirement specialist

Hamptons is linking with retirement rental specialist provider Birchgrove, pledging to offer “a unique proposition for those seeking quality senior rental living within the vibrant communities...

Leasehold Reform Bill wins a big thumbs-up from agents’ body

Propertymark has urged the Sunak government to press ahead with leasehold reform ahead of the Second Reading of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill in the...

New owner for pair of franchised Lettings offices

Two of Martin & Co’s Oxfordshire branches are under new ownership. David Rebe has taken on the Oxford and Thame branches from previous franchisee Bill Cooper in...

Warning to Labour leader - no rent controls, yes to lower taxes

The new Labour leader in Wales, Vaughan Gething, has received an early shot across the bows from Propertymark. Gething was elected Welsh First Minister on Saturday, a...

Complaints About Agents - huge rise in compensation

There’s been a large rise in complaints and a huge increase in compensation according to figures out today from the Property Redress Service (PRS). The total figure...

Big customer satisfaction win follows agency’s eight year campaign

Knight Frank’s residential operation has won the ‘Best Customer Satisfaction Strategy Award’ at the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024. The agency says its work in transforming its customer...

No scrapping fixed term tenancies - new appeal over Renters Reform Bill

Propertymark has emphasised the importance of retaining fixed term tenancies under the Renters Reform Bill. Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson met Housing Minister Jacob Young MP, who...

Tory ex-housing minister quits, claiming he was a success

A former housing minister responsible for the sell off of huge numbers of social homes has told the Prime Minister he will not be standing at...

Crunch Week ahead for interest rates and inflation

Latest inflation figures are announced on Wednesday and the Bank of England makes its next base rate decision on Thursday. The Office for Budget Responsibility says inflation...

Over £2,150 pcm for new Build To Rent scheme - and it’s outside London

A new Build To Rent scheme launches in Manchester this summer with the first residents moving in during June. The Castings is a 352 unit scheme just...

Big rise in Right To Rent fines

There’s been a rise of over 400 per cent in the monetary total of fines issued for Right To Rent offences by agents and landlords. However the...

Lettings chief named for key Knight Frank branch

Knight Frank’s Richmond residential lettings team has welcomed Ivanka Modesteva-Gyurova as Head of Lettings. Modesteva-Gyurova began her career at Foxtons in 2007, where she remained for 12...

New chair revealed for long-standing lettings industry group

safeagent, the UK’s largest not-for-profit accreditation scheme for lettings and management agents, has appointed John Midgley as chair of its board of directors. Midgley has been on...

RICS Warning: rents still rising as landlords quit lettings sector

Today’s new market snapshot from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors shows tenant demand rising but at a rather more modest pace than previously.  At the same...

Rents Still Rising in most areas of UK

Asking rents continue to show pos­itive annualised growth in all regions except Greater London and Scotland.  That’s according to respected property website Home, which issues a monthly...

Family-owned agency signs up to deposit alternative supplier

Family-owned agency Boydens has signed a deal to offer deposit alternative service Reposit to landlord clients. Paul Buck, a representative of Boydens, emphasised the importance of providing...

Passive income from buy to let is a myth, warns legal expert

New and past landlords tempted back to Buy to Let have been warned - passive income from property isn’t easy.  This is according to Charlie Davidson, a...

Agency to manage getting empty homes into private rental sector

Owners of vacant properties are being offered an improved incentive to bring their house back into use. Plymouth council is re-launching its Repair and Rent scheme, aimed...

Banks Closing Pooled Client Accounts - agents urge government action

Propertymark is urging the government to tackle the problem of banks closing down undesignated or pooled client accounts of letting agents. HM Treasury has published a consultation...

Prominent industry figure rejects need for agents to have degrees

The chief executive of industry not-for-profit accreditation service Safeagent, says agents do not require degrees to enter the sector or excel at their work. Baroness Fox of...

Right To Buy cash ‘stolen’ by government will worsen rental crisis

An umbrella group called London Councils has expressed “extreme concern” at the government’s decision to stop letting local authorities keep money raised from council house sales. London...

Agency warns of 10% rent slump as supply shows sharp rise

Latest data from agency Chestertons reveals a 125 per cent increase in the number of landlords choosing to reduce asking rents in February. The agency says this...

Government to double council tax on empty homes after one year

Sharpened rules to double council tax on long term empty properties will come into force from April 1, says the government.  A statement from the Department of...

Hamptons uses Connells link to woo investor buyers

Hamptons has launched a residential investment department - and it’s using the sister Connells brand to give new homes more exposure to investors.  Hamptons - part of...

Franchisee snaps up rival independent after 14 years

A Hunters franchisee has made his first acquisition - after 14 years. Lester Hurst, who has owned the Otley and Ilkley branches of Hunters since 2010, has...

Foxtons issues warning to landlords as tenant demand drops

The number of new rental instructions in February was 20 per cent higher year-on-year, says London-focused agency Foxtons. Average rent achieved rose three per cent in just...

Powers to evict anti-social tenants set to be beefed up

Propertymark has welcomed proposed reforms to evict tenants who show persistent anti-social behaviour.   In 2018, a Northern Ireland Department of Justice consultation to examine the criminal legislative...

Airbnb sharing short lets data with another government department

Airbnb - which recently announced it’s sharing some information about its landlord hosts with HMRC - is now sharing data with another government service. The short let...

New Banking Scandal as thousands of agency accounts are closed

A Parliamentary committee has heard that thousands of small and medium-sized letting agencies were debanked in 2023, with financial institutions forcibly closing accounts. Lloyds closed 1,130 accounts,...

Propertymark rejects politician’s criticism of agency qualifications

Propertymark’s training arm, Propertymark Qualifications, says there’s been a strong uptake across the board with the first of its candidates passing a new Level 4 Certificate...

Mainstream lettings agency diversifies into short-lets management

A holiday lettings agency and an estate agent in a tourist hotspot have joined forces.  Suffolk Coastal will continue with its sales and mainstream lettings activities but...

Most would-be buyers say they cannot afford an open-market home

A survey from property portal Share to Buy suggests that over three quarters of buyers believe they cannot afford to purchase a home on the open...

Labour Mayor’s ‘higher rental standards’ charter backed by agents

Propertymark has pledged its support for the Good Landlord Charter initiated by Labour Mayor Andy Burnham but has urged for greater involvement from letting agents.  A Good...

Tory MP reported to bring Renters Reform Bill “to brink of collapse”

A national newspaper says the Renters Reform Bill is “on the brink of collapse” as Tory MPs are divided on their views of the measure. The Sun...

Build To Rent set to suffer from Hunt’s stamp duty changes

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget is set to hit Build To Rent. The British Property Foundation is reacting to news that Multiple dwellings relief is to be scrapped...

E-bike Fires cause new tenancy and insurance concerns

Despite several fires in rented properties, the government is proposing to double the maximum legal power of e-bikes. A Department of Transport consultation has two proposals for...

PropTech integration claims to save agents time and money

Agency software suppliers Inventory Base and Street.co.uk has struck an integration partnership that pledges to “drive operational change for property professionals and agency businesses across the...

National Insurance cut offers chance to identify tenancy fraud

Tenant reference and tech supplier The Lettings Hub claims 25 per cent of fraudulent documents submitted by would-be tenants were identified by humans, not technology. The company...

Agency giant snaps up 2,000-property lettings portfolio

Fast-growing Lomond has acquired a rental portfolio of in excess of 2,000 units. It has bought Tay Letting and its rental portfolio spanning Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. The...

PropTech sector gives a thumbs down to lacklustre Budget

The PropTech sector has mostly agreed with the rest of the industry in its view on yesterday’s Budget - that it was lacklustre and a missed...

Carbon Neutral Claim by large lettings and sales agency group

Leaders Romans Group claims to have achieved carbon neutrality for a second consecutive year.  A statement claims LRG has undertaken “several notable initiatives and has committed to...

Regulation of lettings agents imminent, suggests Propertymark

Propertymark says the regulation of agents has come a step closer.   The trade body gave evidence at a House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee Inquiry this...

OnTheMarket begins new charm offensive to win agents

OnTheMarket is starting another round of its Town Hall in-person sessions - once again in a bid to win agents. Jason Tebb - newly crowned as ‘president’...

Chancellor reveals property tax change in Budget

The Chancellor has used his Budget to confirm a 2p cut in National Insurance, from April 6. This will take it from 10 per cent to...

Business Rates - Agency warns Hunt he has last chance to get them right

The Chancellor has one last chance to come good on the election promise of lowering the burden of business rates – will he take it? That’s the...

Working from home triggers higher rents in outer commuter areas

Towns within commuting distance of big cities have seen some of the UK’s largest rent rises in recent years, says Zoopla. The cost of new lets rose...

London lettings agency expands network with 14th branch office

London lettings agency Martyn Gerrard has opened a new flagship office in Hampstead, expanding its network across the North and Northwest of the capital. This follows the...

TV presenter to hand out awards at agents’ conference and ceremony

A TV presenter with experience of property shows - Laura Hamilton - will be presenting the gongs at the Annual Guild Conference and Awards Gala on...

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